Life without Anwar

By admin-s On Nov 4, 2014

In truth, all three are politically symbiotic in that the appeal of each party is enhanced and weaknesses are shored up by the others.

Scott Ng, FMT

For PKR and Pakatan Rakyat, Sodomy 2 is a turning point.

Anwar Ibrahim will today meet with one of three fates: a conviction, which will see him back behind bars and barred from politics for what is likely to be the rest of his natural life; a delay in the Federal Court decision, which will keep him and the rest of the nation in suspense for some time; or freedom from his shackles and another chance to wrest control of Malaysia’s ultimate political power.

Whichever of these outcomes comes to pass, one thing is becoming exceedingly clear – the age of Anwar Ibrahim is over.

Some may have a negative knee-jerk reaction to this assertion. However, the signs are certainly pointing that way for contemporary Malaysia’s greatest revolutionary. At 67 years old, he has had two cracks at the bat and almost brought down the government that packed him away into prison for years. Through the years, we have seen massive rallies in support of his cause, and his undeniable charisma is evident to those even watching him walk by. Anwar Ibrahim is indeed the greatest political revolutionary of our time, and even his enemies cannot deny his achievements if they are honest with themselves.

However, since the political tsunami of 2008 that rode upon his leadership and charisma, there has arisen a new guard of young and dynamic politicians waiting in the wings for their time to come. The focus should be on cultivating these future leaders, preparing them for the day they will pick up the fight for Malaysians of all stripes. Like it or not, in 10 years, it is these leaders who will either be leading our government or continuing Anwar’s good fight, and that in itself makes it worthwhile for the old guard to invest in their future.

But a more immediate issue arises should the court rule in favour of the prosecution. Pakatan Rakyat will suddenly be left without a clear leader. The loss will be especially painful for PKR, which was built around his personality and upon his struggle. Without their focal point, the way forward for PKR is cloudy at best.